The reward for a Sixth Man of the Year campaign: 3-year, $21-million deal and a chance to chuck alongside Kobe and Swaggy.

As many expected, Lou Williams found himself a nice deal in free agency and left Toronto after a memorable comeback campaign. The Lakers signed Williams to a 3-year, $21-million deal, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. Williams joins no. 2 pick D’Angelo Russell and Roy Hibbert as the Lakers’ additions this summer.

In fact, the Raptors never even made an offer to Lou, according to the man himself.

It’s a curious move for Los Angeles, who have several high-usage guards. Russell will need his touches, the Lakers are high on Jordan Clarkson, Swaggy P is still kickin’ it and of course, there’s the 35-usage-percentage elephant in the room: Kobe Bryant eats first. Everyone else second.

But still, the Lakers want to improve and grabbing Williams is certainly an upgrade. He might be tight for touches, but Williams can shoot 3’s (which the Lakers need), he can get to the line (which the Lakers need) and doesn’t suck at basketball (which the Lakers have too much of).

Williams’s departure from the Raptors leaves a scoring void. As much as fan gripped about Williams’s propensity to shoot, he was still able to score at an above league-average rate of efficiency, and had the ability to spark a big run by catching fire. His individual scoring talents are rare, and the Raptors will miss his contributions. When Williams was on, he produced magical moments.

But many argued that the Raptors needed to find some balance in their offense. Isolation and high pick-and-roll where the guard kept the ball formed the backbone of Toronto’s attack. It made for low assist rates and a high reliance of individual scorers to provide brilliant outings. Removing Williams from the mix and replacing him with a distributor is a step towards finding a balanced attack.

Williams’s defense was also a factor. He has quick hands and a large wingspan for his height, but he was slight and not always motivated defensively. Along with a lead-footed Greivis Vasquez, the Raptors’ interior players were stuck repeatedly making up for lapses inside. The common theme of the Raptors’ offseason has been to improve the defense and shedding Williams would fit that pattern.

Finding a replacement for Williams won’t be easy. Ideally, the Raptors could find a combo guard with decent size, good playmaking instincts and an ability to lead a second unit. My suggestion? Jeremy Lin. Grab him at less than the mid-level exception and I’ll be happy.

As per reports, Lou Williams is expected to get strong interest for multiple clubs, meaning that despite the mutual interest Williams and the Raptors have shown, the Raptors may simply be priced out on an item that isn’t worth getting into a bidding war on.

Williams earned $5.4M last season and is set to receive a hefty raise. The talk is that Williams could command a three-year deal in the range of $27 million or four years for $35 million, which the Raptors could match, but really, why would they? Williams, as well as he performed last season, had the benefit of a high usage rate, carte blanche in terms of what he could do on offense, and absolutely zero supervision. It really was a dream contract year for a player that’ts ball-dominant, borderline selfish, and a great but inconsistent shot-maker.

Williams posted a usage rate of 27%, which was second only to DeMar DeRozan, and averaged 15.5 points on 40% shooting. In the playoffs, his percentage plummeted to 31% as defenses tried a little bit harder to contain a very simplistic style of play and player, and were quite successfully at it.

The problem with Williams is that he simply can’t play with DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, because it significantly reduces the size of your lineup, and concedes a tremendous amount of defense. Your sixth man has to be able to play with your starters, and Williams can’t do that because you already have the ball-dominant DeRozan, and Kyle Lowry on the court. He works great when Dwane Casey’s managing the game using hockey lineups with the bench willing to collect rebounds, but as evidenced in the playoffs, not so much in real world situations.

Good luck to Lou Williams, but if we start paying his caliber of player $8-9M a year, and he continues playing in the same manner he did last season, this franchise is in deep trouble.

The perceived challenge for any general manager in Toronto has always been the fact that Toronto is a far off place in a distant country with an obscure culture and an unknowable tax code. Toronto gets talked about as though it were some exotic land, even though it has more in common with New York and Chicago than Milwaukee or Minnesota has.

Of course, the problem with Toronto has never really been the city. The city has acted as a convenient scapegoat for the real reason that Toronto has had trouble attracting and retaining noteworthy NBA players: losing.

When it comes to on-court success, the Raptors have one of the worst track records in the NBA, highlighted again this week when they once more failed to win a seven-game series, instead succumbing listlessly to a lower-seeded Washington Wizards team in four games.

The fallout from that series is going to have far deeper repercussions than it seems like anyone wants to talk about right now. People are obsessed with using these Playoffs as a referendum on the past; this past season, Dwane Casey’s past transgressions as a coach and Masai Ujiri’s past decisions as a roster builder. The past, though, is in the past, and the real ramifications that Toronto’s postseason embarrassment will have is on the future — namely Toronto’s longstanding issue of attracting coveted talent to their beleaguered franchise.

After all, if you’re a popular free agent, or a trade target for multiple teams, what is it about the Raptors that would have you excited about signing up? What about that organization says that it’s worth a multi-year investment as a player over the several other options that they’ll have? One can crow about how poorly the Lakers have fared since Phil Jackson left, but that’s still a braintrust that has built Champions, whereas no one in Toronto has ever done so much as win a seven-game series (that includes Casey and Ujiri, by the way, in their respective positions as head coach and general manager).

Look at how readily the Raptors players cast blame for the failures of the club once the season unceremoniously concluded. No one was exactly selling the narrative that that was a locker room people should be clamouring to join. There was finger-pointing, there was coach-killing and there was a general refusal on anyone’s part to truly shoulder blame. They may feel like they are only a piece or two away from making some noise, but they did a terrible job of selling what they have on those course-altering pieces. Looking at the sniping coming out of that Monday afternoon would give anyone pause about signing up to join that foxhole.

Then there is the coach. Externally anyone can see he struggles with designing systems that thrive in the postseason. You can fault the roster construction all you want (and there is a lot of fault to put there) but the Raptors were ripped to shreds in two of their postseason contests and dispatched in two others. A fourth seed should not look worse than an eighth seed, regardless of the roster makeup, especially not when a good chunk of the problems came from tactical errors like where the team was getting shots from and how the pick-and-roll coverages would work.

Casey leaned hard on one-on-one isolation play on offence, insisting that his players were best suited to that kind of basketball. He offered that same explanation when trying to describe his decision making process that led to the abominable offence he had DeMar DeRozan and Rudy Gay executing early last season. On the one hand you can understand why a coach would want to play to his players’ strengths, but on the other hand if you don’t force players out of their comfort zone they’ll never grow, either individually or as a part of a unit. Against Washington his philosophy was thrown against a wall and beaten as the Wizards routinely coaxed the Raptors into taking terrible shots and the team had little-to-no viable structure lean on when the going got tough. Instead they’d react with a series of isolation opportunities for DeRozan, Lowry or Lou Williams — as though that was the great elixir that would settle down a fumbling offence.

That proclivity also begins to address the internal issues that Kyle Lowry hinted at as a part of his ‘read between the lines’ season-ended presser. The players were clearly not united in how Casey ran this club, and I’ve heard that most of that unrest came from a division between the guys Casey gave a limitless leash to on offence versus the guys that wanted to see more discipline and structure. Casey spoke about wanting to see more ball movement, but then did nothing to stop DeRozan from eating up entire possessions pounding the ball against double- and triple-teams. Casey is a guy that has a reputation for running a tight ship, but clearly by seasons’ end he had lost his power of influence, and if you want a reason why Ujiri may be forced to remove him from his position it’s that fact, and not his tactical errors. You can restructure a game plan, but if the players are disinclined to listen then there is no point. That’s what Ujiri has to figure out before moving on with his coach, and he’ll have to do it before July because potential roster additions will need to feel assured that whatever issues plagued the locker room recently have been corrected before signing on for a tour of duty with the Raptors.

Ujiri has done a good job of positioning the Raptors financially (a fact he was sure to point out at his press conference in Tuesday), but that won’t matter if the company he’s trying to sell people on looks too flawed to join. Last year the idea was that the Raptors were an ascendant team, one that could attract a star, or even a superstar, with the idea that they’d put the Raptors over the top. That narrative was destroyed by the Washington series. Instead they are a team with some money to spend (although it should be noted, not as much as several other teams) but a bad image to overcome. Ujiri wanted to avoid making short-term decisions when it came to contracts so that he had maximum flexibility when he was ready to spend, but he risk he took was that the product he was selling players on was going to remain an attractive one. He was always realistic about what the ceiling was for this group, but he seemed unaware of how far down the floor extended. Clearly this club plummeted far deeper than he ever anticipated they would, and it has made his job as a recruiter exponentially more difficult this summer.

Ujiri’s product is flawed, and is totally in keeping with the club’s history of an inability to build upon mild successes. That’s a hard story to overcome when selling your franchise on difference-making players. Yes, the Playoffs proved all the doubters right about what this team was last year, but the real damage is how it might prevent the club from getting better going forward. A lot of the euphoria over last year’s success was that it seemed like the Raptors were finally on an ascendant path, with new highs finally within sight. After the disaster against Washington the Raptors couldn’t have looked more familiar, and they’ll enter the summer — once again — as a club that has to do as much begging as selling if they want the kind of talent that will right the ship going forward.

]]>http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2015/04/29/playoff-sweep-ruins-ujiris-pitch-to-free-agents/feed/94Raptors Struggle To Tame Team Arrogancehttp://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2015/04/23/raptors-struggle-to-tame-team-arrogance/
http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2015/04/23/raptors-struggle-to-tame-team-arrogance/#commentsThu, 23 Apr 2015 18:53:37 +0000http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/?p=54018The Toronto Raptors have played arrogant basketball all season long, refusing to acknowledge their flaws, and now it's coming back to haunt them.

When people think of arrogance they are immediately filled with images of people with an outsized ego forcing their will on everyone around them. They think of people with a fundamental lack of empathy, of people closed-off to opinions other than their own and of people with their chests puffed out and voices that dominate everyone in the room.

There are subtler forms of arrogance, though, and they can be far more pervasive if they are allowed to seep through the bloodstream of a closed-off group of individuals like, say, a professional basketball team.

The Toronto Raptors are an arrogant bunch. They aren’t arrogant in an interpersonal way — the Raptors are a mostly congenial group that get along well together and support each other — but as a basketball team they are one of the most arrogant groups Toronto has ever fielded.

Up and down the roster and through the coaching ranks, arrogance has been a defining characteristic of this club all season long. This team plays arrogant basketball. They play the game like they know something that no one else does, and they do it despite their near total lack of practical accomplishments. They force one-on-one offence even when defences suck the oxygen out of their free space. They refuse to box-out despite getting routinely manhandled on the glass. They reach against penetrating guards rather than moving their feet, which allows any halfway decent player to have a career-night against Toronto’s half-hearted stoppers.

During the regular season, the players sloughed off these inadequacies by implying that they were always one win away from turning it around or that once the Playoffs started none of this would even matter. They felt they were above their own inadequacies, or that they simply didn’t represent them like their self-perceived strengths did. They barely managed a .500 record after January 1st were a sub-.500 team after the All-Star break, and yet they continued to arrogantly assert that nothing was wrong. They continued to play in a way that demonstrated a total lack of understanding as to why they were losing so many games, and now that they Playoffs have arrived, that arrogance is making them look like they don’t even belong on the same court as their opponents. Their total (admitted) lack of urgency Tuesday night in a must-win game two contest speaks to the depths of their arrogance, with the roster figuring they could just show up and play as if they were playing some random game in February, not the most important game of their season.

On Tuesday night, Washington looked like a Playoff team. Their best player, John Wall, was utterly dominant, his supporting cast executed the team’s game plan to perfection, especially on the defensive end, and they routinely pounded Toronto in all of the ways a scouting report would have suggested that they should. The Raptors, meanwhile, looked like an over-matched scrimmage opponent. They haphazardly threw themselves at Washington, insisting on going one-on-one against the NBA’s fifth-best defence, they refused to box out despite getting pounded on the boards (again) and five players had four-or-more fouls because everyone would rather reach and grab than move their feet on defence. It takes a colossal amount of arrogance to continue to play like that while 20, 000 people are watching you get embarrassed, but that’s these Raptors, arrogantly refusing to alter their style of play in the face of all reasonable logic.

You could excuse some of this if a) this was this group’s first trip to the Playoffs or b) if the Wizards had one or two superstars that simply defied any attempts at game-planning against them. Neither of those things are true, however. Last year was supposed to demonstrate how they have to conduct themselves in the postseason so that they’d be ready this year, that was what cushioned the blow of losing to a lower-seeded team. Washington has exactly one All-Star level talent (to Toronto’s two) and the regular season sweep of the club would suggest that Toronto has the personnel to at least put up a fight.

That’s what arrogance robs you of, though. It robs you of the ability to maximize lessons learned. It hardens you against outside influence. It reenforces the echo chamber in the locker room that everything is fine and that they are one game away from turning it around. It’s what lets Paul Pierce taunt DeMar DeRozan into distraction on the eve of the postseason. It’s what lets Kyle Lowry stubbornly refuse to acknowledge the way the refs are calling these games, getting himself into dire foul trouble in both contests. It’s what allows Dwane Casey steadfastly stick to the strategy on the pregame whiteboard rather than adjust to the realities of what is happening on the court. It’s what allows Jonas Valanciunas to think demonstrating frustration is more important than moving on to the next play. It’s what allows Lou Williams to treat a double-team like it’s a dare. It’s what allows the entire roster to act like getting back on defence is beneath them. It’s what allows a division champion to lose two games at home, effectively ending their season four days into the postseason.

All year long we’ve watched this team act like they’ve accomplished something that they haven’t. We’ve watched them turn up their noses at the thought that they might not be as good as they think they are, or that they might have to work harder to get to where they think they deserve to go. If that’s the attitude that they decide to maintain, the Playoff motto will tell them where they actually deserve to go.

Poor guy, he’s been stifled and nobody can explain why. The issue now becomes Casey’s stubbornness, because I totally see him not playing Johnson only to be consistent. Consistently wrong, but consistent. Casey did make a ridiculous comparison of the “We Want Bruno” chants to “We Want JJ” chants, as if they were made in the same context.

Casey: "I remember one game, it was a 5-point game and everybody was (yelling) 'get Bruno in the game' and Bruno was in street clothes"

Wow, is he out of touch or what? The Bruno chants were made in a 42-point blowout with the fans having a joke. The JJ chants were made in the face of Paul Pierce tearing us a new one. And this guy things they have the same context? *shudder*

Furthermore, Casey said that his options when covering Pierce were as follows:

Casey said Patterson was their first option when Pierce went to the 4, Amir was 2nd, James Johnson 3rd. Reiterated his time will come

Hmm….so this guy has Patterson (who Pierce killed last season) as #1, the immobile Amir Johnson as #2, and the ideal candidate, James Johnson as #3. Honestly, Casey needs to stop talking because every time he opens his mouth, something sillier comes out.

Casey also commented on Greivis Vasquez and his ability to fulfil his role and do what’s asked:

Casey: "He’ll run through a wall for you. Greivis will run through the wall, he won’t turn back and say, ‘What do you want me to do?’"

Absolutely, he’ll run through a wall. Unless that wall happens to be a screen, in which case he’ll go under and concede an open jumper. Seriously, though, Vasquez was one of the few players that did anything noteworthy in Game 1. If there’s one thing we know that works in the Raptors offense it’s Vasquez using his size to run high screen ‘n rolls, protect the ball, and deliver a good pass. Maybe the first four plays of the second unit should be him and Johnson just two-manning Seraphin to death.

There was some reaction to Masai Ujiri’s fine, with Casey stating it was surprising and DeRozan avoiding comment altogether in fear of a fine:

Casey said he was surprised by the league's decision to fine Masai, didn't think his comments were that bad. Loves his passion

]]>http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2015/04/20/notes-and-quotes-james-johnson-a-hot-topic-amidst-lou-williams-6th-man-win/feed/18Adaptation: Evolve or Diehttp://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2015/04/20/adaptation-evolve-or-die/
http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2015/04/20/adaptation-evolve-or-die/#commentsMon, 20 Apr 2015 18:13:51 +0000http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/?p=53876The Raptors need to adjust their gameplan moving forward. Forget about old man Pierce, the Raptors need to focus on finally making some simple offensive changes in order to stay alive.

Playoff series are all about making adjustments. Unlike the regular season, where you have only a handful more than a dozen or so proper practices all season long and too many scattered opponents to focus in on a single target to game-plan your strategy specifically for them, the playoffs allow for a more nuanced approach to your opponent and yourself. Based on what we saw from game 1 and, really, what we’ve seen from the Raptors since Christmas, they would be best served to focus on what they’re doing instead of adjusting for the Wizards.

Dwayne Casey joked before the series started about going 1-on-1 with Randy Wittman. Regardless of how you feel about Casey, there were surely few of you who weren’t confident that Casey could beat Wittman, even if it ended up being more of a checkers match than chess. Game 1 didn’t offer any ringing endorsements from either bench. Casey’s play calling and game management were curious to say the least, while Randy Wittman spent most of a 20 second timeout trying to remember how to use a clipboard. But Wittman did make one adjustment that put the Raptors off their game-plan and proved a problem: he stopped playing two big men together and went long stretches in the second half with Paul Pierce at power forward.

A large part of the Raptors fanbase and the writers who cover them were clamoring for the Wizards in round 1 because of the matchup where they play two bigs. The Wizards rarely played small throughout the season, and often took their jumpshots from a few steps within the 3-point line. This kind of approach greatly mitigated the gaping hole in the Raptors defense: guarding small teams who work the ball around for outside shots. The nicest way to put the attitude regarding Randy Wittman around the league is that he isn’t someone people would be afraid of when considering the factors in a series. But it was foolish of the Raptors and their fans to not think that the Wizards would come in with adjustments! The book on the Raptors is clear, and it’s been out for months now. Teams looked at what the Nets did to the Raptors in the playoffs last year and started emulating that basic strategy early in January, and it often killed the Dinos.

The Raptors run everything through their guards. The first couple of actions in almost all of their offensive sets are designed to free up one of their wings to get the ball in space on the wing. The Raptors pick and rolls use the roll man as a decoy or last option far more often than a finisher. The Raptors would starve on isolation and mediocre jumpshots if not for their heavy diet of free throws. Washington looked at those factors and made simple, smart adjustments to take them away. First, knowing that everything the Raptors wanted to do was through DeRozan, Lowry or Lou Will, they did a good job of trying to deny the dribble handoffs that the Raptors love to initiate those plays with. The Raptors offense is simple, and if you make them spend 5 seconds just bringing the ball up the court and another 8 seconds just trying to get a handoff and screen on the wing that isn’t there, the Raptors will almost always devolve into a bad jump shot with time expiring or a tough isolation set. Smart teams have been doing this for months, and it was silly to think that Washington doesn’t have a scouting department.

The next thing Washington did was play the pick and roll with the knowledge that the ball handler was probably going to be the shooter. The bigs often cheated a half step towards the ball handler and many of the Raptors attempts at the pick and roll ended up looking like a guard trying to push a shot up in a two-man trap. The pick and roll is supposed to get you an open shot, not a double-team. The Raptors predictability here is a serious problem.

Pierce was the story from game 1, but it’s worth noting that Washington did not play a stellar offensive game by any stretch of the imagination. Even with the small lineup, the Wizards didn’t score at a rate that simply forced the Raptors to adjust because they couldn’t keep up. Getting caught up trying to adjust to what the other team is doing can take away from what you want to do. It’s important to try and dictate the matchup dynamics yourself. If Washington wants to play old man Pierce 37 minutes at the 4 spot, we should be ok with that, and trying to expose it. Having Patrick Patterson or another wing player hanging out on the perimeter on offense makes life easy for Pierce. Put a traditional big man out there and force Pierce to bang with him. I don’t think that Pierce can play 37 minutes a game over a whole series with Amir Johnson leaning on him and battling for position, with James Johnson driving at him and with him trying to recover as the middle man in a pick and roll. Pierce is more likely to wear down and lose the legs that he needs to make his 3s at that rate than he is when we adjust to them and let him sit on a stretch 4 type. Again, the Wizards offense was nowhere near close enough to win even a game as bad as game 1 without a lot of help from the offensive boards. It wasn’t the Wizards big men grabbing all of those late boards, they came as a result of the floor being open, the Raptors being predictably scattered and them not having a big enough lineup to clean the glass. Valanciunas played between 10 and 15 minutes less than Patterson, Amir or any of the other starters, but in his 23 minutes he was still able to handily lead the team in defensive rebound chances, per nba.com, meaning that he was in the position to grab an available defensive rebound more often than anyone else.

The Raptors don’t just need their bigs in order to rebound though, they need to play them and incorporate them into the offence. As mentioned earlier, the Raptors wings who are normally bad at involving the roll man during the season were especially bad in game 1. All 3 of the Raptors bigs scored efficiently this season when used as a roll man, putting up over a point per possession in scoring. James Johnson was one of the league leaders in this stat, and using him to cover Pierce and bend the Washington defense away from the wings could be particularly effective. The problem is that the Raptors wings don’t look for the pass enough, don’t trust the big man, or they hesitate too long looking for their shot and the defense is able to quickly take away the space. With the exception of Lou Williams, all of the Raptors guards have been between shaky and abysmal shooting as the pick and roll ball handler. DeRozan is the worst offender, averaging 0.77 points per possession as a ball handler. Compare that to Valanciunas 1.12, Amir Johnson’s 1.16 or Patrick Patterson’s 1.17 points per possession as a roll man and the difference between the two is roughly double the difference between the Philadelphia 76ers offence and the Golden State Warriors. It’s a problem! The Raptors need to trust their roll men, and they need to use them. It will score points, and doing so will open up space for Lowry, DeMar, Lou and Vasquez to drive. The Raptors also need to do whatever they can to make the Wizards defense scramble. The athletic trio of Wall, Beal and Porter were able to be patient and rely on help in swarming the Raptors wings, knowing how simple the Raps offense is. This resulted in less than 10 free throw attempts for Lowry, Williams and DeRozan combined. If that particular stat keeps up, it will be hard for the Raptors to win a single game. They need to make the defense bend away from their 3 priority scorers and ball handlers so that they can attack scrambling defenders and help defense that isn’t already set. That’s how they’ll get back to the foul line. Washington gave up an above average number of free throws during the season; the opportunity is there.

If the Raptors are going to win this series, they need to finally start addressing some of the simple and long-standing issues with their own offense. By getting into the offensive sets quicker, it will allow them the opportunity to work the ball from side to side before the shot clock forces a bad shot. If they can do this, and do so while better utilizing the roll man, they should be able to scramble Washington’s currently well set defense. That will make shots, open space, and put them back on the line. Forget old man Pierce, the Wizards are not an offensive juggernaut. But if we allow them to become a defensive one because of our own unwillingness to adapt, the series will be over all too quickly.

Thomas leads in three of the five stat types, with the best average rank of all 10 players. Toronto’s Lou Williams is close behind Thomas in multiple categories, though he far exceeds him in Real Plus/Minus. Jamal Crawford will probably receive votes for the same reason Derek Jeter won so many Gold Glove awards, but his average stats suggest he shouldn’t receive any. The top five players should be: Thomas, Williams, Nikola Mirotic, Manu Ginobili, and Andre Iguodala. But none of them are as impressive as Thomas is compared to the entire pool of NBA players.

A day after tens of thousands of Blue Jays fans waited outside Rogers Centre in the rain while a sold-out crowd filed into the home opener through metal detectors, fans of the Maple Leafs and Raptors will reportedly face the same fate. According to a report in The Toronto Sun, Air Canada Centre will introduce stepped-up security featuring metal detectors. An official with Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment told the newspaper that NHL and NBA security measures will call for the airport-style metal detectors next season.

Williams is locked in the race with Isaiah Thomas of the Boston Celtics. While both players have had a season deserving of the award, Williams should narrowly escape the race as the recipient. To understand why, we must look beyond raw statistics. A player’s candidacy for Sixth Man goes much deeper than points, rebounds and assists. Instead, team success, past performances and overall qualitative impact are held supreme. Williams is having the best season of his 10-year career, which is particularly notable since he came second in voting for Sixth Man of the Year in 2011/12. He has a reputation for being a spark plug off the bench, and he has certainly lived up the hype in his first year as a Raptor. He has been a saviour for the team, which badly needed a volume scorer off the bench during the playoffs last year.When the starters slump, Williams is always ready to put the team on his back and make clutch shots from almost anywhere on the court.

The Raptors, who are trying to complete a 4-0 trip for the first time in franchise history, have won six of eight but one of those defeats came at home to the Celtics on Feb. 4. Marcus Smart hit a buzzer-beating layup in overtime in Boston’s 117-116 win. That victory sparked a four-game winning streak for the Celtics, who have won six of seven while averaging 109.0 points – 7.6 better than their season average. Thomas is leading the offensive surge and seems to have regained his shooting touch after sitting out eight games with a bruised back. He is averaging 23.2 points and shooting 51.4 percent in the last five contests after scoring 11.8 on 29.4 percent shooting in his first five back. Thomas had 25 as Boston snapped a four-game losing streak to the Raptors just over a week ago.

N: I love the constant entertainment basketball has to offer. There is always so much happening at a Raptors game that it keeps you on the edge of your seat. The Raptors fan base gets bigger and better every season. Feeling the energy from the fans makes my job that much more rewarding. We recently performed a Britney Spears tribute routine and I got to be Britney! Fun routines like that are really enjoyed by all the fans. Every game day is surreal!

Johnson has missed the past four games due to a badly sprained ankle and it has bugged him to be on the sidelines, but he knows it is what is best for him and the team. The good news, then, is Johnson will be back soon, maybe as quickly as Tuesday’s game in Boston. After a practice on the Miami Heat’s practice court on Monday (the Raptors wisely soaked up the sun for an extra couple of days in Miami), Johnson said that the situation is now day-to-day. “It’s a process and it’s definitely getting better. If I had to play, or if the playoffs started today, I’d probably definitely get in there,” Johnson said.

Or maybe Valanciunas is the next Brook Lopez or Roy Hibbert: a very large, very respectable name handcuffed to undeniable flaws that don’t blend seamlessly with a modern game that values versatility and speed over power and height. Other scenarios exist, but these two feel as likely as any to actually come true. With that in mind, here’s a thought to ponder: Should the Raptors trade Valanciunas this summer? The question is tricky and borderline offensive. Dealing a former lottery pick in his early 20s, who possesses real potential and hasn’t been lazy trying to reach it, before you have to, isn’t smart. Toronto GM Masai Ujiri is bold, though, and with the opportunity to mold his team’s long-term direction this summer, could be in position to make a headline-grabbing move.

2. RAPTORS ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Toronto matched last year’s 48 win mark and their 22 road win mark, which are both franchise records. Good stuff. I’ve said all along that they’ll be defined more by their postseason success than anything else. I also felt they could finish with less regular season wins yet win a playoff series. Now they can do both which would be really cool and another growing step. Realism is an important factor. They’re right in the area of where their development is supposed to be. Enjoy the process.

Lou Williams, who supplied the dagger against the Heat, commented on a team goal that the Raptors had set at the start of the season, and have a chance to accomplish:

We got two more games left and we set a goal at the beginning of the season to be a 50+ win team. We have an opportunity to do that. We control our own fate. We’ve set goals and we’ve accomplished a few of them so far.

I thought our guys met the challenge with [the Heat] playing with force. [Kyle Lowry’s] always got that compete level. I thought Lou Williams, his compete level was right there with him. I thought he got upset about a non-call, and it kind of got everyone going.

Tyler’s compete-level against [Hassan] Whiteside was huge, and [Patrick Patterson] activity [was huge]. I don’t think you can just single out one guy, I think all the guys that stepped in had their moment as far as their compete-level.

Casey also pointed out Jonas Valanciunas, who fouled out in 10 minutes, and his need to keep cool:

It’s tough. He had some silly fouls. Getting in a wrestling match, you can’t do that. When you get upset with the officials, they’re human. He’s got learn to keep his emotions under control, I love his passion, I love his give-a-you-know-what level, but he’s got to keep his emotions under control and not let himself get tangled up, because a lot of times he’s getting the short end of the stick.

Kyle Lowry, sporting a Leafs hat which he said was due to the need to ‘represent’ spoke about contributing in ways other than scoring:

My rhythm is still off. I missed shots I usually make. They’re going to fall. I’m not going to stop shooting.

For me it’s not about scoring, it’s about rebounding, assisting. It’s about winning the game for my teammates.

My timing was a little better, my footwork was a little better.

He also spoke about waving off a Casey-called play for the crucial DeRozan And1, and the trust level between them:

That’s one thing about coach and our relationship: he trusts me. He wanted to call something, and I felt very strongly about it and I was on the floor, and he said ‘go ahead with it’. It worked, and it’s not a ‘I told you so’, it was a ‘OK, great play’. It’s a trust-level thing.

]]>http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2015/04/12/lou-sets-50-win-goal-casey-praises-compete-level-lowry-waves-off-play/feed/16Will the Raptors Tweaks Ahead of Post-Season Pay Off? (Spoiler: I don’t know)http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2015/04/10/will-the-raptors-tweaks-ahead-of-post-season-pay-off-spoiler-i-dont-know/
http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2015/04/10/will-the-raptors-tweaks-ahead-of-post-season-pay-off-spoiler-i-dont-know/#commentsFri, 10 Apr 2015 15:13:21 +0000http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/?p=53344The Raptors have made tweaks ahead of the post-season, but their playoff success depends on an inexperienced draw and their two stars clicking for the first time this season.

There’s a couple things that are bugging me ahead of the playoffs, regardless of who the opponent is. Whether it be Milwaukee, Washington, Boston, or even Brooklyn. Each of these teams pose different challenges: Washington’s size, Milwaukee’s length, Boston’s sheer tenacity, and Brooklyn’s history. In the end, if I had to pick a team to play I’d select Milwaukee for no other reason than sheer lack of playoff experience, and nothing more.

The Raptors have a much larger margin of error when playing a team with no experience, rather than a team that knows how to prepare for the post-season. This can’t be understated because Dwane Casey, despite being a championship assistant coach, is quite green as a playoff head coach. If he’s able to get outwitted by a rookie head coach last season, there’s no telling what Brad Stevens might do to him in the vacuum of a playoff series. In the same vein, Randy Wittman (hated by 90% of Wizards fans) is probably a good matchup for Casey, not because of our 3-0 record against them (two of them were very tight games), but because Casey has a higher margin of error when it comes to in-game decision making.

Winners of 4 of 6, the Raptors have some momentum ahead of the playoffs. The main positive is that over the last 10 games, DeMar DeRozan is averaging 24 points, 6 rebounds, 4.6 assists on 45% shooting, while hitting 39% from three.

Stat

Last 10 Games

Rest of Season

MIN

38.5

34.2

FG%

45.1

39.9

3P%

38.9

22.6

FT%

84.3

82.6

REB

6

4.3

AST

4.6

3.2

PTS

24

19

This is easily the most positive trend that’s happening right now, but despite DeRozan’s brilliance, in this stretch the Raptors clutch offense ranks in the bottom-third in most categories. This is what scares me. There’s a single point of failure in the Raptors offense right now and it’s DeMar DeRozan. We’re all hoping that Kyle Lowry comes back healthy and starts playing in his November-form, but that’s unrealistic. There needs to be some diversity in our offense, and the recent efforts of having Lou Williams man the point are steps in the right direction. I was thinking the Raptors might not have enough time to integrate Williams fully into that role, until I realized that having less time to prepare doesn’t really matter as Casey’s unlikely to effectively tweak any kind of setup. So it’s probably, as weird as it sounds, quicker to let Lou be Lou at the point, instead of actually coach Lou.

The Raptors, to their credit, have been trying to diversify their offense in baby steps. You’ve seen more of Terrence Ross handle the ball, but his passing is so poor, that relying on him to evaluate a shot decision against a pass one, and execute on it correctly is a low probability event. There’s been a slight more focus on James Johnson’s drives to the rim, and he’s been given a chance to use that crossover of his

The Raptors have also been running the pick ‘n roll more, but not nearly enough given that they have Amir Johnson, Jonas Valanciunas, and the underrated Tyler Hansbrough, all of whom are able to finish. They’re 26th in the league for running pick ‘n rolls where the roller gets a return, with the play featuring only on 5.5% of possessions. On the other hand, they’re ranked 6th in terms of running pick ‘n rolls (18% of plays) where the ball-handler retains the ball. Basically, either no-one is rolling or the ball-handler isn’t giving it up. I suspect what has happened is that the enthusiasm for big men to roll has diminished because our wings aren’t willing passers. This is a correctable problem which would give the offense a different look, and would allow the weak side to get weaker, as teams will help to protect the rim, in turn allowing guys like Terrence Ross (who have been starved for space), get more looks.

The defense remains a mess with it being unable to stop any kind of dribble penetration, and help schemes out of whack. There’s nothing you can do to fix that at this point, and any personnel tweaks and subs will have minimal ROI. That’s another reason facing Milwaukee (or even Boston) might be better because those teams, though they play hard, aren’t very disciplined offensively and are liable to take quick shots, and let the Raptors off the hook. Remember, Washington has experience winning playoff series and they’ve shown they can flip a switch for the post-season, something the Raptors, of any era, have not been able to do.

Other than minor tweaks, the larger integration here will be the return of Kyle Lowry. There hasn’t been a stretch this season where DeRozan and Lowry have both played their best basketball at the same time. They’ve taken turns being great when the other one is out, and now our hopes rely on them both being great together. There are no easy answers here. Nothing is given and every playoff opponent poses a unique matchup, but ultimately it’s up to the Raptors to tweak what’s under their control and hope that they run into either a distracted, or inexperienced team.

]]>http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2015/04/10/will-the-raptors-tweaks-ahead-of-post-season-pay-off-spoiler-i-dont-know/feed/14Raptors Tame Wiggins’ Wolves In Encore Presentationhttp://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2015/04/02/raptors-tame-wiggins-wolves-in-encore-presentation/
http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2015/04/02/raptors-tame-wiggins-wolves-in-encore-presentation/#commentsThu, 02 Apr 2015 13:00:10 +0000http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/?p=53039Wednesday night offered two main subplots. The Raptors attempt to gain needed momentum, and part two of Andrew Wiggins facing off against his hometown team.

Seven players hit the double-figure mark, 25 dimes were cashed in (Amir leading the way with six, yes, Amir Johnson), 55 percent was shot from the field, with Sweet Lou and Vasquez combining for a +51. Not to mention an appearance made by Bruno with more than 45 seconds left on the clock, a Tom Sterner halftime interview (Got to give the people what they want), and Psycho-T topped it off with his first double-double of the season. Let the good times roll!

Actually, wait. Let’s chill for a sec. Considering the undermanned opponent (No Rubio, K-Mart, Dieng, Pekovic, or KG), perhaps we should tone down the celebration a tad. Hey, keeping and even-keel is our job collectively. But feel free to pop a few bottles quietly, as three wins in a row deserves some recognition. Besides, Friday is a holiday.

First Impressions

Before and after Wednesday night’s tilt with the Timberwolves:

The 82-game grind is quickly coming to an end, and with the Raptors’ 75th episode, we are that much closer to reliving last year’s euphoric level of postseason drama. On the surface, the season’s dog-days are in full swing, after all, there are only so many times one can watch reruns of poor decision making; the Talking Raptors Crew idea of “Absinthe Indulgence” is a tempting one.

But this is why we’re here, it’s why we ride the roller-coaster, even if the difference of opinion in this city knows no bounds. With all things considered, from hardcore fans to fair-weather supporters, the Raps reaching their potential is all that is truly desired.

From one end, the playoffs can’t come soon enough. This loyal fan base has earned that boost of excitement. On the flip-side, I’d undoubtedly would welcome much more regular season action than the 7 games remaining, due to the fact that this team’s chances at a deep playoff run are currently dubious at best. Am I optimistic? It comes with a default disclaimer, but absolutely. The Raps are capable, although the city’s guard is unquestionably up.

If we’re on the same wave length, those were more than enough reasons to keep your focus last night. If not, at least Andrew Wiggins, The Sequel, was about to hit your big screen.

Shout-Out Worthy

You know those moments whenever Amir begins his shooting motion from behind the arc, and every single one of us switches to panic mode? Well, AJ defied logic once again drilling two in the first quarter. But that’s not what nets him props in the shout-out section. Johnson has sniffed a high-assist total in the past, but it’s a rare sight when it helps to create quality opportunities within the team’s ball-movement efforts.

As much as Hansbrough can’t finish around the rim without the aid of his own put-back, countless extra possessions have been earned by his work in the trenches. Perhaps his season-high of 18 points a week ago against the Knicks mixed with the aforementioned double-double credentials will create the respect that should already be in place. One of the few Raptors who realizes his limitations, and completely adheres to what’s asked of him.

Wildcard Williams has been under control lately, and it coincides with Lowry’s absence. More ball-handling responsibility translates to less carelessness. Lou’s season averages of 15.1 points, and 40.1 percent from the field put him in any 6th-man discussion. But when you tally the numbers during K-Low’s two extended stints on the shelf, a spike takes place. A bump up to 17.5 points, (sure, extra minutes leads to add-ons), but mix in 47 percent from the floor over those 10 games and you get a more concentrated effort. Or at least quality variations of his off-balance, float away jumpers.

I’m going to enter uncharted territory here, at least for yours truly. Dwane Casey deserves a compliment. Halfway through the second quarter, Devlin and Armstrong noted that they could hear DC call out an OFFENSIVE play while in the half-court set. It’s about time. Wait a minute; April Fools, anyone? Had to be.

Broad Strokes

A redemption of sorts for Wiggins. Lost in the shuffle of the Raps 14-point victory was Wiggins’ 25 large, 5 apiece in boards and assists, with a steal and a rejection to boot. A decided difference from his first showing vs. Toronto on Canadian soil, where suspected jitters and foul trouble led to disappointment.

Arguably though, he took a backseat to fellow rising rookie Zach LaVine, who much to the chagrin of his early-season, and draft-day naysayers, carries more in his arsenal than just an array of dunks. The kid can dice the lane with relative ease, and carved up Toronto’s all night long with 22 points of his own. In the end, A&W’s 10 trips to the charity stripe acts as the trump-card kicker. But with a seemingly dead crowd (that ugly head of attendance again), and an influx of travelling Raptors’ fans, both get swept under the rug.

I’m on the fence in terms of what could have taken place in this game. It was clear Valanciunas could have enjoyed a career night as the T-Wolves had no inside counter at either end. As much as people are getting sick of the “Feed JV Movement”, the fight must go on!

On the contrary, having nine players reach the 20 minute mark and beyond has future benefits in its own right. Competing against a depleted Wolves’ roster could offer an unwelcome ego trip, especially when that lineup outscores you in the paint, while the Raps jack up 30 attempts from downtown, and allow the Wolves to shoot at a 53 percent clip. Laziness shines through on Raptors’ rotations, even in the midst of a romp.

But through all of the frustration the campaign’s second-half has caused, any notion of confidence is an embraceable swagger.

Up Next

Whether Toronto continues its 3-game momentum is anybody’s guess, Sportsbooks have likely made a killing on the Raps’ inconsistencies all year long. But the remaining seven games provide plenty of entertainment value, considering six of the last seven are up against teams fighting for their playoff lives.

]]>http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2015/04/02/raptors-tame-wiggins-wolves-in-encore-presentation/feed/29Can the Raptors Recapture Magic From Last Season in 10-Games?http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2015/03/27/can-the-raptors-recapture-magic-from-last-season-in-10-games/
http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2015/03/27/can-the-raptors-recapture-magic-from-last-season-in-10-games/#commentsFri, 27 Mar 2015 17:24:09 +0000http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/?p=52827Can the Raptors recapture the magic chemistry of a season ago with just ten games remaining?

Last year the Raptors had the city abuzz as they roared into the playoffs for the first time in six seasons having nabbed the Atlantic Division Title. I’ve often referred to it as the magical season as seemingly nothing was impossible to the post Rudy Gay squad. Even down by double digits of that fateful game 7 with under 4 minutes remaining there was a belief the Raptors would mount another fourth quarter come back. We all know the story book ending didn’t prove to be happily ever after as Kyle Lowry‘s last second shot fell short ending the Raptors improbable year. And yet there was optimism for what lie ahead now that the young core had playoff experience and were hungry to taste more success.

Key free agent additions in the off season appeared to address at least two areas needing an upgrade: Lou Williams was a definite improvement over John Salmons and James Johnson was viewed to be a player who would address our defensive needs, specifically in guarding large shooting guards or small forwards. It was also believed there would be a natural progression from third year players Jonas Valanciunas and Terrence Ross.

Lou Williams versus John Salmons Comparison:

(note: click charts for better view)

Although Ujiri hadn’t done much of anything to address our front court reserve needs optimism grew as the Raptors appeared to pick up right where they ended the 2013-14 season. Then November 28th, DeMar DeRozan got injured forcing Lowry to take on a heavier load. Initially the team continued their winning ways going 11-4. The shift in the season can almost be isolated to December 30th, in Portland when the pendulum swung in the opposite direction. Following that devastating loss Toronto went 1-5 (including the Portland loss) and then DeRozan returned.

They say it takes a player and the team approximately 5 games to get back in sync upon return so the 2-3 record justified that logic, especially when the team followed it up with a 6-game winning streak. Despite reckless losses to Milwaukee and Brooklyn the team appeared to be back on track entering the break with significant wins over the Clippers, Spurs and Wizards. Coming back from the break the Raptors looked like the November squad thrashing the Hawks in Atlanta, but followed it up with a 5-game losing streak to end the month.

Perhaps we can point to Lowry’s over use or Portland when he took some hard falls, however it was obvious he was worn out and could no longer pull the trigger to stop opposing teams’ runs with a critical field goal or by taking a momentum stopping charge. Comparing the captains there is a significant difference: without DeRozan the team went 12-9, but without Lowry the team is 2-6. While DeRozan has seen steady improvements in his production it isn’t translating into wins which highlights how important a healthy Lowry is to the team.

Since we have no idea how long Lowry will remain out (other than Masai Ujiri stating he would return) I decided to dive into the stats to see if I could pinpoint clues that could help direct their efforts in their final ten games of preparation.

Looking at the team by month the shifts aren’t huge other than February. What is interesting is the team actually improved in several categories during February except in the most important being point differential. During this time frame James Johnson was starting in place of Ross which improved our overall defense, but the team was scoring an average of ten points less and subsequently losing. March stands out because the Raptors are playing well offensively again but defensively have been at their worst. Obviously this points to the need for Casey to figure out a way to find a balance between the offense and defense.

Raptors Stats By Month:

Then I wondered if the shift had more to do with Casey’s reluctance to play James Johnson as it seems to many of us like he isn’t being utilized appropriately. Looking at his month by month production I was surprised he played in as many games as per the chart below.

James Johnson Monthly Production & Usage:

Review of Johnson’s numbers offers some interesting clues:

When Johnson started in February the team weren’t scoring which is logical given DeRozan had returned and there was no floor spacing with only one (Lowry) 3-point shooter on the court.

While the team was losing in February and had their worst plus/minus differential James Johnson was still performing on the plus side

In March Johnson is playing less and is having his worst and only month registering a minus -3.2

If I’d been asked to guess I would have sworn Johnson had missed 20 plus games given Casey’s inexplicable DNP CD, however the fact is he’s only missed 11 games and at least 2 or 3 of those were injury related.

Ross definitely serves the purpose of spacing the court and the team has seen an offensive surge since his return, but Casey needs to find the right balance of time for Johnson. It’s made no sense not to see him on the court more in specific games like the Milwaukee, Detroit or both Chicago losses. I’m not buying the “match-up” story Casey is trying to sell and while I recognize he might not be the right fit with the existing starters there is no reason not to be utilizing him more, especially in late game situations. Something around 20 to 23 minutes per game seems more realistic (especially heavier minutes in the fourth quarter).

Looking at the best lineups:

To get a better idea of the balancing act of players minutes and line-ups it should be noted the coaches have information at their disposal . Specifically the team can determine who provides their best offense, defense and combination via NBA.com (plus the Raptors would have people assigned to collect this data).

I decided to look at the most productive line-ups seeking any definitive resolution to the Raptors problems. The numbers are from nba.com and are based on points scored or allowed per 100 possessions. OR = Offensive Rating, DR= Defensive Rating and NR = Net Rating

Lowry – DeRozan – J Johnson – A Johnson – Valanciunas: OR of 96.5, DR of 85.6 and NR of plus +10.9 (9th best DR in NBA and only line-up in the top 50 of DR).

Analyzing the advanced stats by month also pinpoints some interesting trends:

Toronto scored 100+ points in every month but February

Notably the Raptors allowed the fewest points as well in February

While everyone is thinking March is the worst month (albeit giving up 111.8 is far from ideal) their net rating isn’t as bad as February and this is mostly without Kyle Lowry

Of the 8 losses the Raptors suffered this month, 6 were against quality teams, 4 against top 3 teams and 2 against teams most say have a chance to win the Championship: Spurs/OKC (assuming Durant returns).

Notable in all the losses was at least one quarter where the team allowed a huge point differential

What can Raptors do to improve before playoffs:

The final ten games of the season will feature only one team above .500 (Houston), however six of the remaining opponents are still vying to capture a playoff seed or improve their rank (Boston x2, Charlotte x2, Miami and Brooklyn). Those 6 games versus desperate squads offers Toronto an opportunity to raise their defensive intensity versus less talented (but motivated teams) which in my opinion is better than playing them if they had no inspiration to win. It also offers the chance to build consistent habits and to gain some confidence and momentum heading into the post season.

We all long for the no quit, fourth quarter defensive monsters of last season and while it may be too late to plug all the holes there are some things that can be accomplished in the last 10 games of the regular season. Personally I’ve seen signs of last year’s squad in the second half versus Detroit, the first three quarters versus Chicago and for periods in each of the Oklahoma City, San Antonio and Cavaliers games. What appears to be the biggest issue is sustaining their effort for 48 minutes and doing that in consecutive games. This has to be a priority over the last ten games.

From my perspective it makes no sense that a squad could lose their ability to be a top ten defensive team when the only personnel changes actually improved the team. Rather, it seems the team isn’t doing the little things that made them successful. While we can argue the merits of coach Casey’s choices, the bottom line is he needs to improve his own performance, specifically in how he assigns minutes and his play calling. Terry Stotts may have been the offensive genius in Dallas prior to moving on to Portland, but didn’t Casey sit in on those meetings? Wasn’t he part of the Dallas team who beat Miami for the title?

There has to be a way to create specific plays for each of the core group and specifically for Valanciunas. We witnessed Terrence Ross utilizing screens in the past couple games akin to what DeRozan uses, so it can be done.

While many in the media as well as fans are calling for Casey’s head I’m beginning to wonder if this is some master plan by the powers that be to get the fourth seed. I recognize it would pit them against Washington who are built for the post season, but they is something to be said for match-ups. Look at Houston who’ve won 48 games yet they were swept by Golden State. By aligning themselves with the Wizards they may believe they have the best opportunity to extend their playoff run by avoiding Cleveland and Chicago. Watching the Hawks succumb to larger front courts tells me they aren’t a shoo-in for the Conference finals and perhaps the Raptors brass feel the same way.

Regardless, Casey is the one the heat is on and he needs to do several things if he wants to remain at the helm:

Inspire the troops to play 48 minutes of defensive basketball

Develop a variety of plays to end quarters and finish games

Demand Lou Williams drives and or pass when closing quarters or game end

Explain to DeMar DeRozan that forcing shots when a team expects it isn’t going to garner success

Do a much better job of minute distribution including getting James Johnson and Jonas Valanciunas additional fourth quarter minutes

Find a way to get the team to take early leads and remain focused, so the core group (read: Amir Johnson and Lowry should he return before season end) can be well rested heading to the post season.

Suffice to say, I’m not giving up on the Raptors or their ability to recapture their magic chemistry. I just wish the coach would stop making decisions which seems to be setting constant road blocks in their efforts to get there.

]]>http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2015/03/27/can-the-raptors-recapture-magic-from-last-season-in-10-games/feed/36We Need To Talk About Last Night…http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2015/03/25/we-need-to-talk-about-last-night/
http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2015/03/25/we-need-to-talk-about-last-night/#commentsWed, 25 Mar 2015 13:00:11 +0000http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/?p=52771The Raptors effort to build momentum towards the playoffs is brought to a shaking halt by a mediocre opponent and worse coaching.

Ok, so the Raptors bucking their struggles and getting things rolling over the last 12 games against bad teams heading into the playoffs storyline didn’t exactly get off to the start that any of us had hoped for last night. Instead we saw a team continue to collectively check out on a defensive scheme that everyone but the coaching staff seems to acknowledge is completely broken. I don’t know how you implement a brand new defense with only 1/6 of the season left, but I do know that you can’t simply ride out what you’ve got when your entire roster quits on the scheme you’re playing because they know it’s going to fail before they even start. That’s a self-fulfilling prophecy that the Raptors had absolutely no problem executing last night against the Pistons. On that theme, let’s go all-in with the bandwagon criticism of Casey, steal a gimmick from a better writer and go over all of last night’s ‘Thank you for not coaching’ highlights.

Anthony Tolliver was punishing the Raptors in the first half by draining wide-open 3 after wide open 3. Amir Johnson has struggled all season long to guard the perimeter and his injury restrictions just don’t allow him the mobility to stay with a stretch 4. He can’t play any help defensive down low when his man is on the perimeter, taking away from his biggest defensive positive, and every time he tries or gets involved in a nearby pick and roll, his man is left wide open for an unchallenged 3. After 4 first half instances of this exact breakdown, you’d think it might be time to change the approach? Not so much. You’d think that maybe this is an opportunity to get James Johnson into the game at the 4 spot? Tolliver isn’t a concern down low, so James Johnson seems like an ideal candidate to be able to better follow him around the perimeter. No, really? No minutes for James Johnson when you’re getting stretched out and hurt for it but Hansbrough is going to get some run and we’re willing to experiment with a Lou Williams-Grievis Vasquez-Terrence Ross backcourt (you’re never going to believe this, but that trio was not spectacular defensively)? Ok, then.

Seriously though, James Johnson got a DNP coach’s decision. I’m not advocating for 36 minutes a game from JJ, but I don’t see how he isn’t an option, and a valuable one at that. Casey needs to explain why Johnson can’t even get a look in these games.

WHY IS VASQUEZ PLAYING LATE GAME DEFENSIVE POSSESSIONS? THIS IS NOT A NEW QUESTION/PROBLEM. HE’S BEING SPECIFICALLY SUBBED IN FOR DEFENCE! I FEEL LIKE I’M TAKING CRAZY PILLS!

What’s that? Vasquez fouled off ball immediately after being substituted in for Terrence Ross with a minute and a half left because he couldn’t keep up athletically with Reggie Jackson? But who could have possibly foreseen this? Are you insinuating that putting a slow footed guard known for bad defensive decision making on the court specifically to guard the most athletic guy on the floor whose been attacking all game isn’t the best laid course of action? Well, the good news is that at least the results turned out just as poorly as you’d imagine, much the way they usually do in this scenario.

There are some of you out there who might advocate for running an actual play when you have possession of the ball down 2 points with 18 seconds left on the clock. It’s an outside the box kind of idea, I know. But let me ask you this, why bother running an intelligent play for 2 points when you have a guard whose perfectly willing to put up a 28-foot contested 3 because you didn’t call a play or a timeout and nothing was materializing so I guess he had to do something? Didn’t think about it like that, did you? I mean, sure, the play is unlikely to work out, and it’ didn’t. Sure, you had the opportunity to use a timeout when you saw that things were not developing well, but people don’t appreciate just how good it feels to be able to finish a game and know that you’ve still got timeouts in hand! And yes, fine, I’ll admit it, it’s incredibly awkward and uncomfortable when you say in your post game press conference that you drew up a pick and roll to get an open shot but it didn’t really work out because a) that still doesn’t explain why you didn’t call a timeout to reset and, even more so, because b) both Lou Williams and Amir Johnson contradicted you in their interviews saying that there wasn’t a play drawn up at all and that’s why Lou figured that he may as well shoot before time expired. Does anybody else know I feel?

While we’re on the theme of being driven insane by bad decision-making, let’s take a minute to look at just how heavily the announcing crew mailed it in last night. Their keys to the game last night were: Road Offence, Road Defence, and Rebounding. You think? Great call boys, you’re right! Offense, defence and rebounding will almost definitely play a roll in this game! Also playing a factor, bouncing the basketball and making sure that they’re able to put the ball through the hoop at least one more time than the other team does. Offense, defense and rebounding? Don’t just list the three main aspects of the game of basketball; try at least a little. Tune in to tonight’s game in Chicago, where the three keys to the game will be filling out the lineup card in a neat and timely fashion, making sure everyone is wearing sneakers and the appropriate basketball attire, and emphasizing scoring more points than the other team.